It’s National Cereal Day, and cereal-makers Kellogg’s and General Mills have teamed up to bring awareness to hunger. The two companies have committed to providing 100,000 meals to No Kid Hungry®, a nonprofit that is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. They believe that access to nutritious food shouldn’t be a privilege. Consequently, they went to Capitol Hill to share their views with numerous policy makers.
In the United States, 1 in 7 kids live with hunger.
Dr. Adam Drewnowski, professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington, went along to discuss the importance of early nutrition. He emphasized not just the nutrition of cereal, but the practicality of it as an affordable and appealing food.
Cereal is a simple food that everyone can have access to. As nutrition experts, our goal is to help Americans build healthy dietary patterns and encourage nutrient-rich foods that are affordable and appealing. As a population, we need to get more of some nutrients (vitamin D, fiber, potassium, calcium, iron) and less of others (saturated fat, sodium, sugar). Many cereals can fit this goal for a lot of people.
Hunger revolves around many circumstances. Many low income kitchens may not include a stove. However, with only a refrigerator, cereal can be a nutritious way to start the day. A bowl of cereal with milk provides, protein, calcium, folate, iron, zinc, vitamin A and E. Even cereals that aren’t whole grain can provide important nutrients to children. This is especially true for those who are most vulnerable and need to fill those nutrition gaps.
To learn more, donate, partner with, go to No Kid Hungry.
